X-ray imaging procedures have not only become the standard for many diagnostic applications in the medical field but have also seen increasing use across a variety of surgical or interventional applications. Interventional procedures are less invasive alternatives to open surgery wherein implements are inserted through relatively small incisions or natural orifices. Interventional procedures can be performed under X-ray guidance by using X-ray fluoroscopy systems that provide real-time projection images. Increasingly interventional specialists are relying on 3-D images for intraoperative guidance and verification, such as images acquired by computed tomography (CT). In contrast to clinical CT scanners these images are acquired at relatively slow rotation speeds and typically have lower image quality than clinical CT scans.
In some cases interventional specialists may use bi-planar fluoroscopy systems. In these systems two single-plane fluoroscopic systems can image the patient from two different angular positions. Advantages of using such systems include the ability to provide the interventional specialist with additional spatial information and to reduce the amount of contrast agent that needs to be injected into the patient in order to view a contrast-highlighted internal feature from multiple angles.
Radiation exposure can be a concern with all X-ray imaging techniques. Concern has grown for fluoroscopy and CT in particular due to their relatively high levels of radiation exposure. While the benefits of these techniques can outweigh the risks of radiation exposure, provide imaging equipment that performs the imaging task at lower dose. A drawback of some low-dose systems is a relatively small field of view, limiting use to cardiac applications.
What is needed is an X-ray imaging system that can address the need for 3-D images during interventional procedures and is flexible enough for multiple interventional imaging applications. What is further needed is a low dose imaging system for interventional imaging applications.